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Deities
This article is about deities as they exist in Morbit. For a list of currently known deities, see: Category: Deities Deities are the living gods of Morbit. They are responsible for the creation and maintenance of the various aspects of the world, including its continents and creatures who inhabit them. Deities exist primarily as physical entities in the world of Morbit itself, but they are able to traverse to other planes of existence as well. Pantheons See also: Pantheons There are virtually an infinite number of deities who exist (or have existed) in the world, but most tend to stay within a single particular geographic region of the world. It is this behavior that leads to the formation of local pantheons– specific groups of deities. This being said, a deity's territory can move and shift over time, especially if they war with other deities or pantheons. Deities can occasionally be found in themed pairs. Usually such pairs tend to either counteract or supplement each other's work, creating either balance or a unit of tremendous force. Most deities choose to rule over specific regions of Morbit, though they tend to vary wildly in how hands-on their approach is or how much they personally appear in the public eye. Some deities act as a functional heads-of-state, while others are so rarely seen that many mortals question their existence at all. Tiers All deities occupy a specific tier within their pantheon. A deity's tier is not an arbitrary rank within the group so much that it denotes the literal extent and limits of their abilities as a god. A deity can evolve or devolve into a lower or higher tier by gaining or losing divine power in certain ways, though the exact process is not entirely understood and is generally considered uncommon and extremely difficult to accomplish. High Deities High deities are the highest ranking and most potent tier of deity, as they function as "primordial" gods in the world of Morbit. The majority of high deities that exist in Morbit were born during the very beginning of the Creation Era. No one knows who exactly created the first high deities, how they were created, or why. High deities are capable of creating continents, species, other deities of lesser tiers, and virtually any kind of life. They also generally tend to be of an incredibly massive physical size, making it difficult for them to hide their identity without some form of proxy, glamour, or other avatar. Greater Deities Greater deities are the secondmost potent tier, and have more limited powers than high deities. A greater deity is only capable of "editing" and modifying pre-existing terrain and continents,though they are also capable of creating sapient species, most forms of life, and lesser deities. Most greater deities are the creations of high deities, though they can also be produced when a lesser deity gains enough power to grow and "ascend" up a tier. Greater deities tend to work for high deities, or are at least beholden to them in some way. Lesser Deities Lesser deities cannot create land, life, or sapient species. They are only capable of controlling their motifs. Lesser deities can be made by High or Greater deities, or they can materialize on their own. The source of some lesser deities remains unknown. Lesser deities tend to work for greater deities, though this is not always the case. Depending on a lesser deity's appearance, they may be able to blend into mortal society completely. Abilities Domains A deity's domain is the specific sphere of influence and knowledge that they possess. It's most common for a deity to have two domains, though deities with more or less are known to exist. Domains are not inherent to a deity's being so much as they are chosen or assumed as a role that the deity fulfills in their pantheon or religion. Thus it is technically possible for a deity to change, gain, or discard some of their domains as time goes on. Motifs Motifs are distinctive features or abilities that a deity has absolute control over. Unlike domains, a deity's motifs are an instinct part of their being and cannot be changed to something else. All deities have at least two distinct motifs. A deity can spawn their motif into the world and control whatever they spawned absolutely. A motif can be either a physical thing or a concept. Demons Main page: Demons Deities can take on mortals or other gods of a lesser tier than them to serve under them as their demons (also known as assistants, servants, and proteges.) A single mortal can be taken on as the demon of multiple deities, but such an occurrence is extremely rare and usually only practiced by "twin" deities. As their various names imply, a demon who works under a deity can fulfill basically any role that the deity desires. Demons often act as confidants, elite soldiers, or arbiters of a deity's will to the mortal world. When a mortal is taken on as a demon, they are imbued with the deity's motifs and are granted immortality for as long as they serve the deity as a demon. If a mortal leaves behind their role as demon they will lose their immortality but they will retain any motif mutations that have occurred. A deity taken on as a demon does not show any sign of their superior deity's motifs, however, as their own motifs "override" them. A deity can technically take on as many demons as they please, but it is rare to have more than five at a time as demons are generally privy to highly sensitive information about the deity and tend to possess a greatly influential cultural position due to their closeness to their deity. This being said, being taken on as a demon is not always regarded as a good thing, and it is possible for a deity to force a mortal into becoming their demon. Physical Characteristics A deity can have any physical form imaginable, leading to an incredible variety in the appearances and mannerisms of the gods. That being said, all deities have forms that incorporate their motifs in some way, visibly or not. Though not a hard rule, high deities tend to be physically very large, greater deities larger than the general populace, and lesser deities about the same size as the general populace. Deities are ageless beings, who generally do not require food or water. A deity will not die unless they are specifically killed by another being. To murder a deity, and to murder a high deities in particular, is nearly universally considered one of the most taboo acts a person can commit. Whenever a deity dies, the zones and regions they controlled will decay into ruin unless another deity steps in to take over. Worship All deities rely on worship as a source of power. The power of faith and worship is such that a lesser deity who is worshiped by many will end up being more powerful than a high deity who is worshiped by none. However, lacking in worship will not result in the death of the deity. Code of Ethics Regarded as something that all morbitians, deity or otherwise, should share and follow. Though of course that is not always the case. The currently known portions of the code is as follows: # Creation is the most divine act of all, and all children of the gods, be it deity or beast, shall be driven by the need to create. # Both beast and deity shall individualize themselves and the world around them to match. Our world is a canvas to be created upon. # Be just in your actions towards others and bite only when you feel teeth are necessary. # To be broken apart and come together anew is the process of life itself, and shall be regarded as the natural way of things. # Parts left behind from your journey are to be considered beautiful, even when they are covered in blades and buried within bone. Category:Deities